Wednesday, November 8, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Exploring ‘age-friendly communities’
Sisters schools will
honor veterans
In what has become a
beloved local tradition, Sisters
schools will honor veterans
of the U.S. Armed Forces this
week in advance observance of
Veterans Day, November 11.
Sisters Elementary School
will hold its observances on
Wednesday, November 8,
starting with breakfast for vet-
erans and their families at 8
a.m. followed by an assembly
at 9:20 a.m., where veterans
of all service branches will be
recognized.
Sisters High School’s
leadership students will host
a Veteran’s Breakfast from
8 to 9:15 a.m. on Thursday,
November 9. Sisters commu-
nity veterans and their fami-
lies are encouraged to attend.
The breakfast will be fol-
lowed by the annual Veterans
Day assembly – from 9:20 to
10:20 a.m. Jay Wilkins, Sisters
resident, school board mem-
ber and U.S. Army veteran,
will be the featured speaker.
Fulfilling a childhood vow
made with friends, Wilkins
entered the Army, where he
served on active duty for six
years. He went to Ranger
School and earned the coveted
Ranger Tab and became an
Apache attack helicopter pilot.
B r e t t M i l l e r, A r m y
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
National Guard combat vet-
eran and founder of the non-
profit Warfighter Outfitters in
Sisters, will be the featured
speaker at an assembly at
Sisters Middle School sched-
uled for 2 p.m. on Thursday,
November 9.
Veterans Day is observed
on November 11, which was
the date when the armistice
that halted combat on the
Western Front in the First
World War took effect in
1918. The date is observed in
many countries as Armistice
Day. In the United States it
became officially known as
Veterans Day in 1954, a day
to honor all veterans from all
branches of service.
Sisters Elementary School
— Wednesday, November 8 —
8 a.m. Veterans’ Breakfast
9:20 a.m. Assembly
Sisters High School
— Thursday, November 9 —
8 a.m. Veterans’ Breakfast
9:20 a.m. Assembly
Sisters Middle School
— Thursday, November 9 —
2 p.m. Assembly
What makes a community
friendly to seniors? Some of
the key factors are housing,
transportation, health ser-
vices, community services,
social participation, and com-
munication and information.
Margaret Neal, Ph.D. pro-
fessor from Portland State
University, discussed the 10
factors involved in the three
necessary environments
for fostering the develop-
ment of age-friendly com-
munities at a presentation in
Sisters.
Following Dr. Neal’s
PowerPoint presenta-
tion, attendees broke into
three groups, one address-
ing the built environment,
one looking at the service
environment, and one con-
sidering the social environ-
ment here in Sisters, as they
relate to the seniors who live
here. Participants assessed
what is currently working,
what is creating barriers,
and what can be done to
improve the environment for
seniors.
The afternoon wrapped up
with each group reporting out
on what they had identified
in each category. Overall,
there was agreement on a
number of issues for seniors:
lack of affordable housing;
inadequate transportation
options; social isolation; and
no central coordination of
services.
Establishing programs
and opportunities for inter-
generational interaction
and consistently practic-
ing “neighborliness” would
help reduce isolation, build
a sense of community among
all ages, and provide assis-
tance to those of any age in
need.
One group proposed
the establishment of a paid
position for a Director of
Senior Services to serve as
a clearinghouse to coordi-
nate programs, volunteers,
services, and transporta-
tion for seniors in Sisters
Country. Perhaps a first step
in that direction would be the
development of a resource
guide listing available local
services, programs, and per-
sonnel available to seniors in
Sisters.
Exploring changes in
zoning laws and incentives
for developers and builders
could possibly help improve
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The suggestion was made
to be sure that representa-
tives from Sisters serve on
the Central Oregon Council
on Aging board so COCOA
knows and understands the
needs of Sisters seniors.
The fact there are no
medical providers in Sisters
currently accepting new
Medicare patients is of con-
cern to those 65 and over.
The lack of any urgent care
facility in Sisters is also a
problem. Sisters is the only
major city in the tri-county
area to have no established
senior center.
Social isolation can be a
result of lack of transporta-
tion options, medical condi-
tions, unavailability of fam-
ily, and the timing of events
not being convenient to older
residents.
The Senior Alliance has
been formed to address
these issues and provide a
platform for seniors. The
majority of attendees at the
Age-Friendly Forum would
like to see the Alliance and
Citizens4Community pur-
sue solutions to the identi-
fied issues to help make
Sisters a more age-friendly
community.
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